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The Top 10 Rangers Moments from the 2014-15 Season, Part 1
Bobby Bevilacqua
The 2014-15 season was full of magical moments for the Rangers, so here’s my choice for the 10 best games/moments from this past year. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Are you missing hockey? Do you wake up every day craving to see guys glide across ice, throw bone-shattering checks and fire the puck into the back of the net? Do you dream about the Rangers or about watching games? Well look no further!
The 2014-15 season was pretty amazing for the Rangers. It was full of so many great games, great moments, young stars bursting onto the scene in the NHL, and lots of ups and downs. It made for one of the most memorable seasons in the past 20 years (except for the run to the Cup Final of course!).
With all of the amazing moments, games and memories from this past season, it was hard to narrow them down to just a top 10. The list could easily be 20-30 different games or plays from the season. But this is what I think the 10 best moments from this past season were. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers agree to terms with RFA Magnus Hellberg
Bobby Bevilacqua
The Rangers have agreed to terms with Magnus Hellberg on a two year deal. Photo courtesy of John Russell/Getty Images.
Jeff Gorton, the General Manager of the New York Rangers, announced that the team has signed restricted free agent goaltender Magnus Hellberg, who was acquired in a trade from the Nashville Predators.
NBC Pro Hockey Talk’s Mike Halford reported that it was a two year deal.
Rangers sign goalie Hellberg to two-year extension http://t.co/fW1iwmJnfl
— Mike Halford (@HalfordPHT) July 10, 2015
Hellberg, 24, spent most of his time with the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League, the Predators’ AHL affiliate. He appeared in 38 games, finishing with a 15-10-6 record along with a 2.33 GAA and a .913 save percentage, as well as three shutouts. Read the rest of this entry
Food for thought: Is it wise to spend so much money on defense?
Bobby Bevilacqua
The Rangers have spent a ton of money to build a strong defense, as well as in net. But in this league, and after looking at recent Cup champions, is it worth it? Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
For the New York Rangers, defense is and has been the name of the game. Whether it was the blue-collar hockey played under John Tortorella, or the faster, speed game employed by Alain Vigneault, defensemen have been crucial to the team’s performance and success.
That reflects in the team’s salary cap as well, where a large portion of the available money is spent towards creating potentially a top-three defense in the entire league. With players like Ryan McDonagh, Keith Yandle, Marc Staal and Dan Boyle populating the defensive core of the Rangers, they form a very versatile and effective group that can shutdown anybody in the league, as well as generate some offense too.
But having so many talented defenseman on one team means that they all get paid for their high level of talent. This also stretched into goaltending, as the Rangers have arguably the best goalie in the NHL in Henrik Lundqvist. On defense alone, the Rangers have $26.75 million invested in their seven defensemen, with Dan Girardi ($5.5) and Marc Staal ($5.7) making the most amount of money. Add in Henrik Lundqvist and the new backup, Antti Raanta, and the Rangers have $36 million going towards the back end. That’s more than half of the allotted salary cap, without spending a dime on the 12 forwards that play every game. Read the rest of this entry
Rumor Mill: Edmonton, San Jose have interest in Cam Talbot
Bobby Bevilacqua
Cam Talbot could potentially be the Oilers next starting goaltender, if a trade happens this summer. Photo courtesy of Perry Nelson/USA TODAY Sports.
According to ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun, the Edmonton Oilers and San Jose Sharks have expressed interest in acquiring the Rangers’ backup goalie, Cam Talbot. While the Oilers have been a rumored destination for Talbot if he is traded, the Sharks are new comers.
The Rangers are really in no rush to send Talbot away, who is under contract for the 2015-16 season for a measly $1.45 million cap hit. Talbot had the best season of his young career, finishing with a 21-9-4 record, along with a solid 2.21 GAA and a .926 save percentage.
The Rangers learned the importance of having a quality backup goaltender after Henrik Lundqvist went down with a vascular injury in his neck, leaving him out of the lineup for seven weeks, which amounted to 25 games. Talbot started 23 of thems, posting a 16-4-3 record with a 2.16 GAA and a .929 save percentage.
His impressive stat line over 57 career appearances, along with his very affortable cap hit, makes Cam Talbot an attractive trade target for a team looking for a starting goalie. Talbot proved that he could handle the heavy workload of a number one goalie, and play well, when Henrik was out. Read the rest of this entry
Rangers Player Grades: The Goalies
Bobby Bevilacqua
Cam Talbot and Henrik Lundqvist combined to form one of the best goaltending duos in the entire league, with each goalie reaching the 20 win plateau and playing a major part in the Rangers’ success. Photo courtesy of MSG Photos.
Throughout the offseason, I’m going to be writing articles, giving my opinion on a player’s performance throughout the regular season and the playoffs. I’ll be starting from the back end out, which means goalies first, then defensemen, and finally the forwards.
To avoid super long posts, I’m going to split up the defensemen and forward groups. For defensemen I’ll probably do the plays who are paired with each other, and I’ll try and separate the forward lines. This will allow me to talk more in depth about each person, and talk about how they played together.
Without further ado, let’s get going on the 2014-15 player grades. Read the rest of this entry
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